- EU: Uber hit with nearly $1 billion bribe demand for automatically deactivating drivers
Source: Engadget
“Uber has allegedly violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) again, but this time to the tune of a 824.9 million euro, or $966 million, fine. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), or the Dutch Data Protection Authority, hit Uber with the massive fine, accusing the company of automatically deactivating driver accounts between 2018 and 2022 without human intervention. According to the Dutch regulatory agency, Uber has deprived its drivers of income through fully automated decisions, violating the GDPR in the process.” [editor’s note: Even if there was anything improper about that, note the word “fine.” It’s not restitution to the supposedly wronged drivers, it’s just bureaucrats demanding a huge bribe – TLK] (08/22/26)
- LAPD investigates Nicolas Cage movie that went missing at Netflix
Source: SFGate
“A dispute between a producer and Netflix over a missing copy of a WWII spy drama starring Nicolas Cage has now reached the Los Angeles Police Department. A law firm representing producer Simon Afram filed a report with the Hollywood Community Police Station, accusing Netflix of losing a drive with a copy of his WWII film, ‘Fortitude’ last month and not providing information on the streamer’s investigation into the issue. ‘This report is being made on an emergency basis, as there is reason to believe that Netflix, Inc. and its employees are suppressing and/or spoliating evidence of the theft of an asset with a cost of $45 million to create and a likely sale value of over twice that amount,’ according to Afram’s complaint which was viewed by The Times. … Netflix said in a statement last month that it is conducting an investigation and is offering to monitor piracy sites for any authorized distribution or sale of the film.” (08/22/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/lapd-investigates-nicolas-cage-movie-went-missing-22398666.php
- SCOTUS allows Trump’s ballroom construction to proceed for now
Source: Axios
“The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump’s sprawling ballroom project can proceed for now, despite a lower court’s ruling that halted the administration’s plans. The decision is a major win for the administration, which has argued that demolishing the White House’s East Wing and building the ballroom are necessary for security. In a brief order, Chief Justice John Roberts paused the halt the D.C. District Court put on construction while the court weighs his request. It did not address the legality of Trump’s project or give a timeline for when the court will weigh in.” (08/21/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/21/trump-ballroom-construction-supreme-court
- Hong Kong: Tiananmen activists convicted in “national security” show trial
Source: BBC News [UK]
“Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been found guilty of inciting others to subvert state power under the city’s controversial national security [sic] law. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison after being convicted under the China-introduced law. Sentencing is expected at a later date. A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, pleaded guilty in January. Lee and Chow ‘incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power’, according to a summary on Friday. Chow told the court in May the law itself was on trial.” (08/21/26)
- Bitcoin, ether and solana climb as another $1 billion shorts get wiped out
Source: CoinDesk
“Bitcoin rose above $77,000 in European morning hours on Friday as it advanced for a fifth straight day. The largest cryptocurrency is up about 8% in 24 hours and 22% over the week. Short sellers took another beating, as roughly $1.2 billion of short positions were liquidated over 24 hours out of $1.4 billion in total, across 156,211 traders, CoinGlass data show. … Bitcoin’s market value now stands at $1.5 trillion, still some 40% below the record above $126,000 set last October.” (08/21/26)
- Ukraine: Russian drones hit border crossing with Moldova in overnight strike
Source: euronews [EU]
“A border crossing with Moldova in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region was damaged by Russian drones overnight, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said in a statement on Friday morning. Traffic through the Tabaky checkpoint has been suspended and diverted to other crossings, the border service said on Telegram. Moldovan authorities in Chișinău have been informed, the statement added. The announcement comes a day after a Romanian F-16 fighter jet destroyed an explosive-laden maritime drone close to Europe’s largest offshore gas project, hours after another drone entered the NATO member’s airspace and crashed near the Ukrainian border. … Some European officials described the incidents as Moscow testing NATO’s response, which raised questions about how prepared the alliance is against potential threats from Russia.” (08/21/26)
- Tunisia: Opposition protests against president amid economic discontent
Source: Reuters
“Activists and opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied took to the streets of Tunis on Thursday, calling for his departure and the restoration of democracy in the latest protest against his governance amid growing political and economic discontent. Hundreds of protesters said they reject ‘one-man rule’ and ‘a slide towards dictatorship,’ and urged the release of jailed opposition figures, activists and journalists. A similar demonstration took place last month, coinciding with the anniversary of measures by Saied on July 25, 2021, when he dismissed the government and later dissolved the elected parliament and began governing by decree.” (08/20/26)
- China: Regime Buys Saudi Crude in Rare Tender as Imports Stay Muted
Source: Bloomberg
“China has bought millions of barrels of Saudi crude offered via a rare tender and under long-term contracts, although overall purchases still remain well below pre-war levels. State-run refiners PetroChina Co. and Sinochem Group, along with Unipec — the trading arm of Sinopec Group — and private processor Rongsheng Petrochemical Co., bought a combined 10 million barrels of Arab Medium and Heavy grades in a tender, said traders familiar with the matter. The oil is for prompt loading. … Aramco offered spot supplies of sulfur-rich crude from locations outside of the Strait of Hormuz for loading as soon as this month. The grades are produced within the Persian Gulf, suggesting the kingdom may be finding ways to move more barrels through the waterway.” (08/20/26)
- Romania destroys marine drone near Neptun Deep gas project, minister says
Source: Reuters
“Romania scrambled F-16 fighter jets to destroy a marine drone spotted a few hundred metres from the Black Sea gas project Neptun Deep, Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Thursday. The incident underscores the growing threat to critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea from drones and mines linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Neptun Deep expected to make Romania the European Union’s largest gas producer when it comes onstream in 2027. NATO-member Romania shares a 614-km (382-mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones breaching its airspace over the last four years and mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes. Thursday’s incident follows similar action earlier this month when army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the exclusive economic zone near the offshore Neptun Deep project.” (08/20/26)
- FBI raids former congresscritter Eric Swalwell’s home, seizes devices in probe tied to sexual assault claims
Source: CNN
“Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part of an ongoing probe connected to sexual assault allegations, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN. Swalwell and his lawyer did not immediately respond to messages from CNN. Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after reporting from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed allegations of sexual misconduct. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department opened criminal investigations into Swalwell in the wake of the reporting. The raids this weekend are part of a federal investigation connected to the claims of sexual assault, the sources told CNN.” (08/20/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/eric-swalwell-fbi-raid-sexual-assault-claims-invs
- Indonesia: Swiss tourist sentenced to a year in jail for insulting Bali’s sacred Day of Silence
Source: ABC News
“A court on the Indonesian resort island of Bali sentenced a Swiss tourist on Thursday to one year in prison for insulting a sacred Balinese Hindu observance. Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, was found guilty of violating Indonesia’s new criminal code by posting social media messages about the Day of Silence, when people are required to stay home and are urged to remain silent and meditate. The Denpasar District Court determined that he posted the messages even after staff at the villa where he was staying informed him of the restrictions. ‘What the defendant did offended the Balinese people, hurt their faith and provoked public outrage,’ said presiding judge Tjokorda Putra Budi Pastima. ‘The defendant must be held accountable for his actions.'” (08/20/26)
- NASA calls off mission to save Swift Observatory telescope in space
Source: United Press International
“NASA and Katalyst Space have announced that the mission to boost the altitude of a Swift Observatory space telescope has failed. The announcement came down on Wednesday after an attempt to use the LINK spacecraft ran into altitude control issues, NASA and Katalyst Space said in a press release. The spacecraft was meant to raise NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher altitude. LINK is still set to attempt rendezvous and proximity operations with the Swift Observatory. … If the mission was successful, LINK would have allowed the Swift Observatory to extend its mission, the press release says. NASA expects Swift to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere this year.” (08/20/26)
- Global wheat buyers brace for supply squeeze amid Black Sea attacks
Source: Reuters
“Global wheat importers are bracing for tighter supplies as attacks on Black Sea grain infrastructure disrupt shipments, heightening food security risks for top buyers such as Egypt and Indonesia, while driving up prices. Benchmark Chicago futures have climbed more than 17% since the start of July, fuelled largely by a shortfall in Black Sea supplies, with physical prices making strong gains in rival exporters Argentina, Australia and the United States. … For now, stronger harvests across parts of the Middle East and North Africa have cushioned the immediate impact, with the Egyptian government procuring record volumes of local wheat and better rains boosting crop prospects in Morocco and Tunisia.” (08/20/26)
- CA: Stolen Lego sets worth nearly $30,000 found in desert
Source: SFGate
“Southern California law enforcement officials stumbled upon an abandoned vehicle in the desert containing Lego sets worth nearly $30,000, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday. According to the Sheriff’s Department’s news release, on Monday around 11:30 p.m., Barstow officials discovered the Lego sets inside an unoccupied van at National Trails Highway and Pioneer Road in Newberry Springs. The van held 123 boxes of stolen McLaren F1 Lego sets, which are valued at about $230 per set. Police with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad confirmed that the sets were taken during a train robbery.” (08/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/stolen-lego-california-desert-22396751.php
- France: Former PM Fillon suspended from top French honor over fake jobs conviction
Source: Politico
“Former French Prime Minister François Fillon has been suspended for 10 years from the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest order of merit, after being found guilty of providing his wife with a fake job in which she was paid a salary using taxpayer money. The decision to suspend Fillon was published Thursday morning in the French official gazette. It was approved by President Emmanuel Macron after being recommended by the body tasked with handling disciplinary measures for the Légion d’honneur. The fake jobs scandal emerged during the campaign for the 2017 presidential election and cost Fillon a shot at the presidency, as he was a front-runner in the contest before the allegations emerged.” (08/20/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/francois-fillon-suspended-highest-french-honor-fake-jobs-scandal/
- Mystery California lobbyist used bogus million-dollar boasts to land taxpayer contracts
Source: New York Post
“A Southern California lobbyist who interned in the Clinton administration with Monica Lewinsky has been making lofty claims to win taxpayer-funded contracts — but some of the cities and public agencies on his killer resumé say they couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. Jaime Rojas, president of Rojas Public Affairs, has been collecting thousands in taxpayer fees from a Southern California agency after he bragged about securing tens of millions in federal funds …. Rojas spoke before the Phelan Piñon Hills Community Services District board in January 2025, touting a record of securing more than $90 million in state and federal funding. The district subsequently awarded Rojas a contract paying $5,000 per month. But in documents submitted to that agency and others, Rojas’ firm has overstated or made up multimillion-dollar funding claims in writing while seeking taxpayer funds, including a three-year lobbying deal tied to Gypsum Canyon Memorial Park and a planned state veterans cemetery in Orange County.” (08/20/26)
- US bond yields edge higher as traders digest Treasury debt buyback plan
Source: CNBC
“Bond yields edged higher on Thursday morning after pulling back sharply during the previous session following the Treasury Department’s move to dramatically ramp up government debt repurchases in a bid to shore up longer-dated debt. … The Treasury Department, led by Scott Bessent, said Wednesday it would double the size of its debt repurchases, mainly at the long-end of the yield curve. The move sent yields tumbling, with the 30-year yield plunging more than 10 basis points on the day and the 10-year note yield falling more than 6 basis points, reversing this week’s earlier advance. Treasury yields have been pushing steeply higher since June, touching levels not seen since before the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.” (08/20/26)
- UK, French, German, Italian and Canadian regimes condemn Israeli regime’s West Bank squat project
Source: BBC News
“Israel’s plans to open up tenders for the construction of some 1,200 [squatter] homes in a strategically important part of the occupied West Bank have sparked fresh condemnation by major Western powers. In a joint statement, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada called the decision ‘unacceptable’ and urged Israel to ‘retract the plans immediately’. All s[squats] are illegal under international law and, under international pressure, Israel held off for decades on plans to build in E1 to the east of Jerusalem. Many of its allies and Palestinians argued this development would deal a major blow to hopes of a two-state solution, effectively cutting the West Bank in two and isolating east Jerusalem.” (08/20/26)
- Trump picks White House aide Dr. Heidi Overton for top FDA job
Source: ABC News
“President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has nominated White House Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director Heidi Overton to be the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. … Overton has been Trump’s deputy assistant during his second term, advising him on health policies, including lowering prescription drug prices. Overton has stood alongside Trump for several major health announcements at the White House, including his executive order signing on childhood vaccines earlier this month. She has espoused anti-abortion views and supported reductions to the childhood immunization schedule, touting the use of ‘gold-standard science’ and restoring vaccination authority to parents while at that executive order signing.” (08/19/26)
https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-picks-dr-heidi-overton-top-fda-job/story?id=135777387
- FBI arrests woman who allegedly plotted ISIS-linked attack on New York state Capitol building
Source: Fox News
“A New York woman plotted to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill state senators inside, repeatedly surveilling the building and buying materials for an explosive device before the FBI arrested her, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital Thursday. Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. The FBI says she pledged allegiance to the terror group, discussed disguising a bomb in a DoorDash delivery bag and wanted to carry out the attack when state senators were meeting. … At a news conference Thursday afternoon, FBI officials said Bowie’s alleged plans extended beyond an attack on the state Capitol and included ambitions to carry out additional violence after fleeing the country.” (08/20/26)
- When Paris Went Hungry Under Government Food Controls
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith“During the French Revolution, authorities in Paris turned to ‘a series of ventures in price-fixing and food control’ to ensure people did not go hungry. It didn’t work as planned.” (08/21/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/when-paris-went-hungry-under-government-food-controls/
- Hayek and the Road Abandoned
Source: Fre Association
by Sheldon Richman“When Hayek was writing, the air was filled with the poisonous creed that, with individual freedom obsolete, central planning of society was the future. The wise ones understood that collectivism was the order of the new day and that no one could be allowed to thwart the leader or ‘the people.’ Fewer and fewer people were aware of what was being lost: a civilization marked by a custom-shattering, liberating individualism that brought commerce, innovation, and progress without a single imposed plan.” (08/21/26)
https://sheldonrichman.substack.com/p/tgif-hayek-and-the-road-abandoned
- El-Sayed May Be Winning. But He Should Run Like He’s Losing
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher“If the Democrats’ brash Senate nominee in Michigan believes only the good polls and not the bad, he may wrongly conclude he need not adjust to woo swing voters.” (08/21/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/21/el-sayed-may-be-winning-but-he-should-run-like-hes-losing/
- The Forty-Trillionth
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“One presidency was just not enough for Donald Trump. But what will he be remembered as? It is possible that his tombstone will have a forty-something on it, but the ‘th’ may very well stand for ‘trillionth’ — for under his watch the public debt of the federal government rolled over on Wednesday, past $40 trillion. I remember when people held signs up emblazoned with ‘No Trillion Dollar Debt!’ How ‘forty years ago’ is that?” (08/21/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/08/21/the-forty-trillionth/
- That Stunning [sic] Florida Senate Win
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner“Until this week’s Florida primary, corporate and AIPAC Democrats could comfort themselves with the belief that the surge of democratic socialists was largely limited to a few big cities and college towns. But then DSA member Angie Nixon, a three-term state rep from Jacksonville, trounced the impeccably credentialed centrist Alex Vindman by 12 points. Vindman, with heavy AIPAC and corporate support, had outraised Nixon 19-to-1, having a war chest of more than $16 million compared to Nixon’s less than a million. Nixon’s victory was so improbable that she was not even on the radar of DSA, which did not bother to endorse her. … Expecting to cruise to victory in the primary, Vindman did not deign to campaign, saving his war chest for the general election.” (08/21/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/08/21/stunning-florida-senate-win-angie-nixon-dsa/
- How Western Belligerence Helps Putin Hold Onto Power
Source: The American Conservative
by Leonid Ragozin“As the liberal Yabloko party got dropped from the ballot, a chorus of analysts came up with predictable claims that Putin increasingly fears his own people. Ukrainian deep strikes and Western sanctions, the story goes, have forced him to tighten the screws to try to prevent social unrest. Also predictably, another story in the hackneyed ‘Russia is finished’ genre is making headlines: Russia’s major state-run bank VEB has fired its chief economist Andrey Klepach for making dark predictions of the country’s future. One can only pity the professional doomsayers for the shortage of really inspiring stories as they try—for the umpteenth time—to sell the idea that Ukraine should suffer for just a little while longer in hopes of Russian collapse.” (08/21/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-western-belligerence-helps-putin-hold-onto-power/
- I Bought Beans at the Government Store
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Ryan Devine“Azalea Fresh Market opened last September to address a growing demand for a grocery store in downtown Atlanta. Its opening was the result of a partnership between the City of Atlanta, the Independent Grocers Alliance, and a successful local mini-grocery store chain, Savi Provisions. With no major grocery company inclined to open a location in the downtown area, the City of Atlanta managed to contribute roughly $8 million in cash, loans, and grants to provide the infrastructure needed to help open the business …. Given the intent behind the establishment of this store, it’s difficult to imagine why it’s gaining so much praise from advocates for Zohran Mamdani’s proposed government-owned markets. Mamdani’s goal isn’t to target food deserts; he aims to outprice private grocers in areas where supply is abundant because he’s convinced that businesses are price-gouging consumers.” (08/20/26)
https://fee.org/articles/i-bought-beans-at-the-government-store/
- Note to Rick Scott: Stop Tweeting and Cut Up That Government Credit Card
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Over the course of Scott’s relatively short career in the US Senate — he took office in 2019 and is now in his second term — he’s voted for trillions of dollars in deficit spending, especially military spending. Since Scott took office, the US government’s debt has gone from $16 trillion to $40 trillion. His party has controlled the US Senate throughout his tenure, and the House of Representatives for about half of that tenure. Not one thin dime gets borrowed or spent unless the both the House and Senate pass a bill, and the margins are often close enough that one or two votes — including Scott’s — decide the outcome. Scott’s perennial ‘someone should do something!’ tweets on the debt might be good politics, but even a cursory look at his actions demonstrates that he’s someone NOT doing something.” (08/20/26)
- Conservatives Are Wrong About Morality, Responsibility, and Freedom
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“One of the fundamental differences between libertarians and conservatives pertains to the concepts of morality, responsibility, and freedom. Conservatives are wrong and libertarians are right on this issue. Conservatives hold that before people can be permitted to be free, they have to be moral and responsible. … Libertarianism holds that people have the right to be free regardless of whether they are sufficiently moral or responsible. Freedom is a natural, God-given right. … It is only through freedom that people can become moral or responsible. The conscience is like a muscle—it must be constantly exercised to be strengthened.” (08/20/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/08/20/conservatives-are-wrong-about-morality-responsibility-and-freedom/
- A Wealth Tax Built on Billionaires Who Aren’t Really Billionaires
Source: Reason
by Veronique de Rugy“There’s an old saying: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. A similar idea underscores the debate over wealth taxes in California and elsewhere: Those who can, build companies. Those who can’t, devise ways for the government to take shares in what others have built. This new version might sound unfair until you listen to Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D–Calif.) pitch for an allegedly onetime, 5 percent wealth tax on California billionaires, tied to November’s vote on Proposition 40. Space constraints prevent us from surveying all that’s wrong with wealth taxes here. But as a reminder, they raise very little income for the government, are an administrative nightmare, could be unconstitutional, and create enormous disincentives to build the kind of wealth that creates jobs and funds government services through other taxes in the first place.” (08/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/08/20/a-wealth-tax-built-on-billionaires-who-arent-really-billionaires/
- Don’t Let Washington Pick the Next Apple
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stefan Bartl“AI firms, whether OpenAI, Anthropic, or competitors that do not yet exist, should remain free from Washington’s ownership. Washington cannot credibly act as regulator and shareholder at the same time. Nor does Washington possess special knowledge about which AI company, model, or technical architecture will prevail. If the US government selects an AI champion, that company could become insulated from market forces in an industry that will help define the future. The lesson of BlackBerry and Apple is not that OpenAI will lose or that Anthropic will win. The lesson is that nobody knows which company will succeed, and Washington should not decide.” (08/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/dont-let-washington-pick-the-next-apple/
- Iran proves that it might change its military leaders, but it’s not changing strategy
Source: Fox News
by Erfan Fard“Military appointments in authoritarian states, particularly during wartime, reveal priorities, threat perceptions, institutional loyalties and leadership fears. The new military and security hierarchy under Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei should therefore be read as more than the reconstruction of a command structure damaged by war. It is an order of battle with two purposes: confronting the United States and Israel abroad and preserving the Islamic Republic against instability at home. Those elevated are not a postwar generation seeking accommodation with Iran’s adversaries, but veterans of the revolutionary-security establishment, formed through war, intelligence operations, ideological conflict, asymmetric warfare and domestic coercion. Claims that leadership decapitation has produced meaningful regime change in Tehran should be treated with caution.” (08/20/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/iran-proves-might-change-military-leaders-not-changing-strategy
- Alligator Alcatraz may be gone. Its shameful history remains
Source: Palm Beach Post
by Mark V Barrow, Jr.“The migrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz is closed, but much about it remains unresolved. There are lawsuits over detainees’ treatment, environmental claims over damage to protected wetlands and uncertainty about the future of the airstrip it was built on. One aspect of the facility has drawn far less attention, though ― the name itself, and the long history of associating alligators with racist ideas about people of color. … As early as the 18th century, French explorers and naturalists began claiming that alligators and crocodiles showed a preference for attacking and consuming people of African descent. Plantation owners in the South eagerly repeated these stories because they discouraged enslaved people from escaping into marshes and swamps, where pursuing them proved difficult. The idea gained much wider traction after the Civil War.” (08/20/26)
- What is Trump afraid we will see about how the tariffs were formulated?
Source: The Hill
by Phillip W Magness and Sara Albrecht“When the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative unveiled its now-infamous ‘Liberation Day’ tariff formula in April 2025, economists quickly noticed that something was not right. At first glance, the formula looked impressive. It had Greek symbols, academic citations, and all the trappings of serious economic analysis. But once economists began examining it, the sophistication quickly fell away. Key terms, they noticed, effectively cancel one another out, leaving little more than a calculation driven by bilateral trade deficits. For one of us, an economist, that raised a simple question: How did this formula come to be? So he filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the records behind it. … When the agency finally responded, it said it had found 31 pages of responsive records. It would release none of them — not one email, calculation or even redacted paragraph.” (08/20/26)
- An Africa that prizes economic (and political) freedoms
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“In recent years, Africa’s economies have felt a powerful impact from drought, debt, and violent discord. Yet, amid the turbulence, the southern nation of Zambia has charted a determined, if halting, course toward potential growth. Its latest election, on Aug. 13, set another example in its ability to achieve economic gains while (mostly) protecting its democratic system. The election ‘has far greater international significance than the country’s landlocked status and modest economic size might imply’, in the view of a senior researcher at Chatham House, a respected London-based think tank. President Hakainde Hichilema, who was elected to a second five-year term with 60% of the vote, will govern ‘a country at the centre of Africa’s critical minerals competition, debt diplomacy and shifting regional alliances’, wrote Christopher Vandome this month. And, he added, ‘Zambia’s prized democratic reputation will also be tested.'” (08/19/26)
- Why the French Revolution Was Not a Libertarian Revolution
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken“A common misconception about the French Revolution is that it was some sort of classical liberal or libertarian revolution. That is, some still claim that the revolution was, for all its flaws, in ‘the spirit’ of what is historically known as liberalism. The flawed interpretation of the revolution is kept alive for two reasons. One is used among the post-liberal conservatives who try to use the bloodshed of the French revolution as ‘evidence’ that liberalism leads to totalitarianism. A common mistake is to equate the liberal ideology with the theories of various ‘enlightenment’—and un-liberal—theorists such as Rousseau. Another mistake occurs when modern libertarians attempt to rehabilitate the French Revolution to portray is as pro-freedom phenomenon.” (08/20/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-french-revolution-was-not-libertarian-revolution
- Why Economists Leave Government Spending Out of Inflation Measures
Source: The Daily Economy
by Karl-Friedrich Israel“The CPI captures the rising cost of private consumption while leaving the rising cost of government consumption out of the equation.” (08/20/26)
- The Jason Arday tragedy cannot justify a crackdown on the press
Source: Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin“UK nonprofit the Good Law Project is pushing an open letter, currently with over 122,000 signatures, calling for Prime Minister Andy Burnham ‘to commission an immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press given its contribution to Dr Arday’s tragic death.’ Several members of Parliament signed on. ‘Self-regulation of the press has comprehensively failed,’ the letter adds. So the government must then regulate it. Another petition calls for Arday’s Law, ‘legislative action to impose limitations on the number of news articles published about a single individual within a defined time frame’ to ‘work towards creating a framework that balances the public’s right to information with an individual’s right to privacy and mental well-being.'” (08/20/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/the-jason-arday-tragedy-cannot-justify
- Fourth Circuit Strikes Down SC’s Restrictions on Absentee Ballots under 26th Amendment
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“This week, the Fourth Circuit issued a major ruling striking down South Carolina’s limits on absentee ballots. The relatively novel basis of this opinion (by Judges Roger Gregory, Judge Pamela Harris, and Judge Julius Richardson) was that it violated the 26th Amendment as discrimination on the basis of age for voters. The opinion conflicts with rulings in other circuits and, in my view, is challengeable. … Under Section 7-15-320 of the South Carolina Code, four categories of ‘[q]ualified electors’ are allowed to vote absentee in an election: electors who are physically disabled; members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents; persons admitted to hospitals as emergency patients on the day of an election or within a four-day period before the election; and ‘persons sixty-five years of age or older’. S.C. Code § 7-15-320(B).” (08/20/26)
- The Environmental Conservative in an Ideological Age
Source: Law & Liberty
by Joshua Bowman“Conservatives should develop an environmentalism that is rooted in tradition, place, and scientific realities.” (08/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-environmental-conservative-in-an-ideological-age/
- George Orwell’s Warning to Britain
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Mike Fairclough“Great Britain, where I live, once prided itself on eccentricity, irreverence, and the right to say unpopular things. Today, people living in my country have been arrested over social media posts and other digital communications. Some have been imprisoned. Online censorship has become more sophisticated, surveillance technology continues to advance, and cancel culture has taught millions of people that expressing the wrong opinion can carry severe consequences. As a result, people are self-censoring out of fear of reprisals. Books have a particular role to play here. They give people permission to explore ideas away from the noise and intimidation of social media. A reader can encounter something privately, consider it, question it, disagree with it, return to it, and perhaps find the confidence to openly express an opinion they had previously been afraid to voice. This is why my publishing house, Free Speech Press, is launching with a reprint of George Orwell’s 1984.” (08/20/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/george-orwells-warning-to-britain/
- Today In Dystopia: Burning Books For Israel, Burning Books For AI
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Today in dystopia they’re really going after books. A library in Sydney has removed the book How to Sell a Genocide by Adam Johnson from its shelves after Zionists complained about its criticisms of Israeli mass atrocities in Gaza. … ‘They seem to be objecting largely based on the title using the word ‘genocide’,’ Johnson commented. ‘But ‘genocide’ is not my word, or my finding. The fact of genocide in Gaza is the overwhelming consensus of the human rights world, and it is a wholly mainstream opinion among those tasked with studying and determining such matters.’ So in Australia they’re now banning books for Israel. I guess it was only a matter of time.” (08/20/26)
- From Spectral Evidence to Self-Evident Truths
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig“Bathshua Pope, sometimes referred to by her maiden name of Folger, lived with her husband and mother-in-law at a sawmill in Salem. When the mill suffered some kind of mechanical breakdown in 1692, it was attributed to supposed dealings with the devil. Bathshua was among the accusers, ultimately providing ‘evidence’ that helped send at least three people to the hangman’s noose. … Bathshua died in 1726, three years after her restless teenage nephew left Boston to seek work as a typesetter in Philadelphia, betting his future on the burgeoning industry of the printing press. As far as we can tell, he never mentioned his aunt. … The woman who had participated in actions scarcely distinguishable from human sacrifice, and her nephew, the boy whose name would echo through the ages as a harbinger of modernity: Benjamin Franklin.” (08/20/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/from-spectral-evidence-to-self-evident
- The Case Against Bond Market Panic
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“Yesterday I wrote about how interest rates are rising around the world. I acknowledged that the higher rates are a real problem, but argued that there is no evidence that the U.S. faces a looming Greek-type debt crisis. Today I’ll talk about why it’s important for the future Democratic administration (assuming that we have free and fair elections in 2028) to keep a sense of perspective and not panic about the size of the federal debt.” (08/20/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-case-against-bond-market-panic
- Of course we can make ourselves poorer — but why bother?
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall“There are things it is possible to do and which are also things we might not want to do – however possible they are …. ‘Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is imported’ …. Yes, of course we can grow the food we need in Britain. … Trade means we can have more, different, foods cheaper and also that added bonus of leaving a bit of land for the wildlife. Bonzer, eh? We are richer through trade. At which point we’ve an actual think tank insisting we must make ourselves poorer by giving up those advantages of trade.” (08/20/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/of-course-we-can-make-ourselves-poorer-but-why-bother
- Has Trump Lost His Fear of Markets?
Source: The New Republic
by Timothy Noah“The madness in the bond market suggests that the death of T(rump) A(lways) C(hickens) O(ut) is nigh.” (08/20/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/214535/trump-iran-bond-markets-taco
- The Price of Portland’s Luxury Beliefs
Source: Law & Liberty
by Harrison Kass“Portland, Oregon exists in a pretzel-like, seemingly unsustainable juxtaposition to itself. Golden hour moments of pastoral perfection, in the shadow of mountains, at the banks of rivers. Afternoons in coffee shops and art museums and concert halls. The best food in the world. Meth psychotics, stalking the pavement, screaming at the sky. Homeless camps that sprawl. Emergency responders too overworked to respond. The city offers both paragon examples of urban living and seeming proof that western civilization has failed—often within mere blocks of one another. While paradoxical, the conditions on the ground aren’t mysterious, or arbitrary, or altogether externally-driven. The conditions are the logical end-result of explicit policy, a reflection of legislative and executive priorities.” (08/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-price-of-portlands-luxury-beliefs/
- Trump Administration Accomplishments: October 2025 to Present, Part One
Source: American Greatness
by Stu Cvrk“Last November, an article was posted that summarized Trump Administration Accomplishments in 2025 through October. At that time, President Trump had just signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law, brokered a string of ceasefires, and was nine months into what was shaping up to be one of the most consequential presidencies in American history. Since then, the pace has, if anything, accelerated, with a full-scale operation resulting in the capture of a hemispheric narco-dictator, the implementation of the largest tax cut package in a generation, a childhood vaccine schedule overhaul, a new NATO spending baseline, and a genuinely dangerous stretch of open war with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz that is still not fully resolved as of this writing. Let us pick up where that article left off and summarize Trump administration accomplishments since then.” (08/20/26)
- Economic Fascism and the “Megadeal”
Source: CounterPunch
by David S D’Amato“A system with a small number of massive corporate conglomerates under which 99.9% of us have no substantive power whatsoever can never be one consistent with liberal democracy, the rule of law, or economic freedom. Those who focus their attention myopically on the current regime and the corruption thereof show that they understand neither the nature nor the scale of the social problem, and for this reason they can be of only little help in the struggles to come. Indeed, many are no less custodians of the political and economic status quo, and eagerly defend this system of corporate domination and economic fascism. The formal shape of or label on the structure of ownership and power tells us nothing on its own, our ideological delusions notwithstanding.” (08/20/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/20/economic-fascism-and-the-megadeal/
- Another Big Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives
Source: The Atlantic
by Olga Khazan“When some Taylor Swift fans listened to the lyrics of her 2025 song ‘Wi$h Li$t,’ in which she sings about yearning to ‘settle down’ with ‘a couple kids,’ they heard a Republican dog whistle. On social media, they claimed that Swift’s desire for family life was ‘a conservative agenda on a silver platter.’ Swift, an avowed feminist who has endorsed Democratic political candidates, almost certainly did not set out to make ‘tradwife propaganda.’ But her online critics are getting at something real: Having children—particularly lots of children—has become a bit right-coded, as the kids say. Americans and Europeans who identify as leftist or liberal tend to have fewer children than those who identify as conservative or right-leaning.” (08/20/26)
- DoD guts & conceals weapons testing. What could go wrong?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst“After cutting down the DOT&E to a skeleton crew, the Pentagon now wants to remove 25 years worth of its reports from public view.” (08/20/26)
- Trump’s reputation for corruption is doing Democrats’ work for them
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jackie Calmes“It wasn’t so many months ago that Democrats were debating about what their winning message should be for capturing control of Congress in November’s midterm elections and finally putting a needed check on President Trump. Should they stay laser-focused on Trump’s culpability for a laggard economy and American families’ affordability crisis? Or spotlight Trump’s overt and corrupt self-enrichment?
The answer, finally, became obvious to the ditherers: Both. Better late than never, the economy and corruption have merged as Democrats’ two-pronged cudgel against Trump. Midterm elections are, after all, a referendum on the president’s performance; the subservient Republicans on the ballot are simply his proxies.” (08/20/26) - Postliberalism Is Not About Economic Transformation
Source: The Bulwark
by Matt McManus“Disregard the empty allegations of ‘socialism.’ The real problem with postliberalism is its underlying authoritarian vision.” (08/20/26)
- Why Paul Krugman Is Wrong About Medicare for All
Source: Common Dreams
by Dr. Rob Stone“Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2008 and must be a smart fellow. He wrote on Substack August 11, ‘The U.S. Healthcare System is Already Mostly Socialized, and there’s nothing radical about wanting to end insurance company parasitism’. Krugman explained that taxpayers currently pay two-thirds of US healthcare costs. It’s not just the costs of Medicare, Medicaid, the Indian Health Service, the VA, and the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, but also employers deduct their contribution for their employees’ private insurance as a tax-deductible expense, while the employees owe no income tax on the value of employers’ contribution. Maybe that’s a bit wonky, but the point is simple – when we give tax breaks that subsidize heath insurance for employees, then the rest of us taxpayers have to make up the difference.” (08/20/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/medicare-for-all-2677735164
- Really, O’Reilly? Bill Demands War Crimes In Iran
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette“Other Fox New hosts and contributors who ended up in the Trump administration include Sean Duffy, Jeanine Pirro, John Bolton, Larry Kudlow, Mike Walz, Dan Bongino, Sebastian Gorka, Mike Huckabee…There are more, but you get the idea. A preponderance of war enthusiasts, some for Iraq, others for Ukraine, all for Iran. O’Reilly supported all three wars. And since he was the biggest Fox star for sixteen years, one must assume he looms large in Trump’s consciousness. That makes his pathogenic influence especially menacing.” (08/20/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/really-oreilly-bill-demands-war-crimes-in-iran
- Reasonably Optimistic, 08/21/26
Source: Washington Post
“Host Megan McArdle talks with UCLA sociologist Gabriel Rossman about scandal, status and public shaming.” (08/21/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 08/21/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“‘Golden Age’ Milestone — Debt Hits $40 Trillion.” (08/21/26)
- The Political Orphanage, 08/20/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Chinese Lobbyists Hate California Pig Laws.” (08/20/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/chinese-lobbyists-hate-california-pig-laws
- Serious Trouble, 08/20/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Disney sues the FCC to vindicate its First Amendment rights; Luigi Mangione pleads guilty, and wants to avoid being prosecuted twice; AI gets an expert witness in trouble.” (08/20/26)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/the-happiest-place-on-earth-a-courtroom
- Underthrow Podcast, 08/20/26
Source: Underthrow
“Argentina Tried Socialism. Then Came the Chainsaw.” (08/20/26)
- Ron Paul on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Ron Paul on the Iran War, the National Debt and Flock Cameras.” (08/20/26)
- Sal and Mark, episode 16
Source: Free Talk Live
“Jason Bassler from the Free Thought Project joins to talk about the growing resistance movement against Flock cameras, the abuse of this surveillance technology by law enforcement including federal agencies like ICE, ATF and the FBI, and what ordinary people can actually do to push back. Scott Horton then joins to share his perspective on US and Israeli foreign policy toward Iran, how Netanyahu played checkers with Trump, and where the current standoff is likely headed. Scott also touches on the Russia Ukraine war and the very real danger of nuclear miscalculation between the US and Russia.” (08/20/26)
- The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 08/20/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“Why Did the Founders Fear Democracy?” (08/20/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/why-did-the-founders-fear-democracy?
- Libertarian Angle, 08/20/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“Libertarian Angle: The Ten Commandments in the Public Schools?” (08/20/26)
- Advisory Opinions, 08/20/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Let’s Pretend We’re Justices | Interview: Chris Scalia.” (08/20/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/lets-pretend-were-justices-interview-chris-scalia/
- The Anarchist Experience, episode 594
Source: The Anarchist Experience
“Rich & Riley talk about what Riley’s been up to while gallivanting, and will Utah run out of water if they put in a new data center.” (08/20/26)
https://theanarchistexperience.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/the-anarchist-experience-594/
- The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman, 08/19/26
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“Let’s Unstick Congress (with Tom Malinowski and Maya Kornberg).” (08/20/26)
- Speech at Cambridge University’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Source: Cobden Centre
“I [Max Rangeley] talk through some of the complexities with respect to military AI and robotics, then talk through some different theories of consciousness, from neuroscience, physics and other fields, and what they mean for the possibility of machine consciousness.” (08/20/26)
- The Science of Politics, 08/19/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“Can housing policy overcome lousy folk economic thinking?” (08/19/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/can-housing-policy-overcome-lousy-folk-economic-thinking/
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 08/19/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“OOF the Creeping DSA Communism Inside the Democratic Party.” (08/19/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 08/19/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Announces ‘Crushing Economic Operation’ Against Iran, Israel Massacres 10 in Gaza, and More.” (08/19/26)
- Kibbe on Liberty, episode 400
Source: Free the People
“Socialism Still Kills.” (08/19/26)
- The Tom Woods Show, episode 2788
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Biggest Academic Charlatan of Our Time, Celebrated.” (08/19/26)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2788-biggest-academic-charlatan-of-our-time-celebrated/
- Dave DeCamp on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Dave DeCamp on Palestine, Iran, Somalia and the Risk of an American Nuclear Strike.” (08/19/26)
- LPA Two Hour Lunch Hour, episode 7
Source: LP Alliance
“Join us for our anything goes podcast every Wednesday at noon eastern!” (08/19/26)